Watch CBS News

'House Goes Floating By': Local Musician Captures Video Of Devastating Flooding In Poudre Canyon

LARIMER COUNTY, Colo. (CBS4) - New video of the flash flood in the Poudre Canyon shows a car and large parts of a home being washed away Tuesday night. It was shot by local musician, Ryan Dart, who was recording music just across the road at the time.

LARIMER FLOOD MUSICIAN 10PKG.transfer_frame_259
(credit: CBS)

Dart, who calls Berthoud home, was back in a Boulder recording studio Sunday after spending several days in the Poudre Canyon last week. He told CBS4 the canyon is a spot he sometimes goes to find peace and a creative spark.

"We had just set up a mobile recording studio in a cabin there about a mile from the flood scene," Dart said. "We were working on some acoustic recording for this new record."

On Tuesday, the power went out before Dart could even record the first verse of the first song. When he went outside, he found more than just a rainstorm.

LARIMER FLOOD MUSICIAN 5 VO.transfer_frame_28
(credit: Ryan Dart)

"The house goes floating by and then I pulled my camera out and starting videoing," Dart said.

Days later, the video is no less jarring to Dart. It shows a dark, fast-moving flood waters carrying a car, debris from homes, and timber downstream.

Dart was able to safely record the scene from a porch on the cabin he was staying in, which was across the road from the river.

"It was a really intense situation, but once we got a chance to drive up the road and see what happened up there, we felt very fortunate," He said.

Six homes were destroyed in the flood, and another was heavily damaged, according to the Larimer County Sheriff's Office. Two people are also confirmed dead, and as of Sunday night, two others were still missing.

'They've been through so much with the fires and now the mudslides and floods. It's just real sad for everybody up there that's been affected," Dart said.

LARIMER FLOOD MUSICIAN 10PKG.transfer_frame_899
(credit: Ryan Dart)

Though he's now back in the recording studio, Dart said he's not ready to write about what he saw.

"It's still a little too fresh to dive into that. Maybe on the next record," Dart said. "It'll definitely be a sad song."

He remains grateful to be safe, and heartbroken for a community's sudden pain.

"[It's] definitely a day I'll never forget."

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.